Thief! Read Online Free PDF Page B

heading for the canteen. After all, today was fish and chips day! Some of the others looked uncertain, as if they wanted to stay but not by themselves. Laughing and chatting, the rest of the crowd finally turned and ambled off. Lydia watched them walk away from her as if nothing had happened, as if she didn’t even exist. The bones in her legs turned to jelly. She slid down the wall and hugged her legs to her, resting her head on her knees. Her whole body was hurting. Each time ‘THIEF!’ was yelled at her, it hurt worse than a punch in her stomach. And over the last week she’d had to take so many punches.
    ‘I’m not going to cry. I won’t let any of you make me cry.’ Lydia whispered the words over and over.
    It seemed to be working. For once the tears that always seemed to be stinging her eyes these days didn’t run down onto her cheeks.
    ‘I’m not going to cry,’ Lydia said again.
    She forced herself to stand up. It was time for her to go into lunch as well. Lunch was such an ordeal that she’d skipped it for the last couple of days. But not any more.
    ‘I won’t give any of you the satisfaction,’ she said, trying to convince herself. She took a deep breath and headed for the canteen.
    Lydia grimaced as soggy, greasy chips were slapped onto her plate. Everyone looked forward to Friday’s lunch, but the fish looked as if it had died of old age and the chips were doing the backstroke in a puddle of oil.
    ‘Anything else, pet?’ asked the dinner-lady.
    Lydia shook her head. She turned, swallowing hard. Now for the hard part. She had to somehow get across the lunch hall without catching anyone’s eye. Lydia started forward, her head high, her gaze concentrating on the far wall. But that wasn’t the worst part. Not by any means. It was listening to the silence spreading before her as she approached each table. Then as she passed, the whispers and the laughter started, growing louder and louder as she got further away.
    That was the worst part.
    Lydia sat down at a table by herself. She pronged a chip with her fork and began to chew. It was like eating with a really bad head cold. The chips grated down the back of her throat as she swallowed and Lydia couldn’t taste a thing.
    ‘Bharti, sit down and be quiet.’
    At the sound of Mrs Binchy’s angry voice, Lydia looked up. The teacher stood glaring at Bharti, who held her lunch plate in her hand. From the pinched look on Mrs Binchy’s face, she was obviously at the end of her tether. Lydia recognized Bharti, who was in the same year as her but not in the same class. Bharti had also been at one of the Cosmic meetings Lydia had attended but they hadn’t said that much to each other. Mind you, that was before Anne had decided that Bharti didn’t belong and had thrown her out of the group.
    ‘I can’t sit with her.’ Bharti pointed to Lydia. ‘My mum said I mustn’t talk to her ’cause she steals things.’
    ‘SIT DOWN!’ Mrs Binchy roared.
    Bharti sat down quickly.
    ‘Bharti, you will sit there and eat your lunch without another word. I’ve had just about enough of you for one day.’ And with that Mrs Binchy strode off.
    Lydia returned her attention to her plate, viciously pronging another chip. Head bent, she swallowed hard over and over again, waiting for the lump in her throat to deflate. At the moment it was the size of Jupiter. A burning sensation on the top of her head told Lydia that Bharti was watching her. Gritting her teeth, Lydia looked up suddenly.
    ‘What’re you looking at?’ she snapped.
    ‘My mum said I wasn’t to talk to you, but I never take any notice of what my mum says,’ said Bharti. A moment’s silence followed. ‘Did you steal the sports cup?’
    Lydia shook her head.
    ‘I didn’t think you did.’ Bharti shrugged.
    ‘Why not? Everyone else does,’ Lydia said bitterly.
    Bharti shrugged again. ‘I never do what I’m supposed to. That’s why I’m always in trouble.’
    Over Bharti’s shoulder, Lydia saw